How do I recycle plastics correctly?

How should you recycle plastics? It’s a bit complicated, but in this article we’ll try to make things easier for you.

The first priorities should be refuse, reduce and reuse, but recycling also plays an important role in reducing pollution and laying the foundations for a more sustainable world.

Why is plastic recycling not enough?

Simply recycling plastics does not compensate for the environmental damage caused when the resource is extracted, the plastic is manufactured and the final product is transported to the consumer.

Therefore, we should all try to minimize the amount of plastics we use. For example, use reusable glass containers for storing and heating food, a stainless steel to-go coffee cup instead of single-use plastics, and a high-quality reusable bottle for water bottles.

But reducing plastic to zero is almost impossible.

So how does plastic recycling work?

Here's a guide for you on the best and worst materials and how to recycle plastic.

The main plastics to avoid
These plastics cannot generally be recycled and should therefore be avoided.

1. PVC - Plastic 3: PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is generally considered the most harmful of all plastics. It releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environment when manufactured or incinerated and can leach phthalates in its use.
2. PS - Plastic 6: Foam or polystyrene cups and "to go" boxes, as well as some clear cups and containers.
3. PC - Plastic 7: Or polycarbonate. Can potentially leach bisphenol-A, a known hormone disruptor.

Safer plastics to use
These plastics are easier to recycle and should therefore be preferred:

1. PETE - Plastic 1: Polyethylene terephthalate is considered among the safest plastics, although some studies indicate that repeated use of the same PETE bottle or container could cause leaching of DEHP (di-phthalate).
2. HDPE - Plastic 2: Used in some reusable sports bottles, which are much better than #7.
3. LDPE - Plastic 4 and 5: Low-density polyethylene and polypropylene are considered reasonably safe.
4. PLA - Confusingly also called #7: safe, biodegradable, compostable (not recyclable) plastic made from plants. Make sure it is certified by the BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) before composting. Note: Also read our guide to the intricacies of PLA and other biodegradable and compostable plastics.

Another way to categorize plastics:

1. HDPE - Opaque bottles
2. PVC - Transparent bottles, with stitching that runs through the base
3. PET - Clear bottles, with a hard spot molded into the center of the base
4. ABS - Typically plastic toys, kitchen utensils and other tougher plastics
5. All of the above are theoretically recyclable plastics, except PLA. Unfortunately, few of these actually end up being recycled, as plastic containers are usually made from a mixture of plastics of different densities. The mixture of plastics makes them complicated and more expensive to reuse. In many cities, recycling facilities do not even have the machinery needed to recycle all the different types of plastic that we throw into recycling bins. Therefore, they are specialized and only handle one or two of the most common and easiest to recycle types (i.e. PET).

How to recycle plastic

How to separate/classify plastics
What happens to our waste when we separate it into different bins for waste collection or recycling?

The best type of recycling is Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs), which collect plastics for recycling. These are found throughout Germany and Scandinavia and are increasingly popular in the UK, for example.

Putting plastic in the bin or at plastic collection points does not necessarily mean that the plastic is actually recycled:

• The bottle must be clean to be recycled.
• It should be easy to identify what type of plastic it is. If it is not clear, as is the case with most biodegradable plastics, then it goes to landfill or an incineration plant.
• Much of the plastic still ends up in landfills and incinerated due to poor sorting or the search for waste that can be burned for energy.

In summary
Recycling is not a long-term solution to plastic pollution and waste. We need to reduce the amount of plastic we use and throw away. But plastic is still a big material, so we need to make sure we reuse or recycle the plastic we do use.

Don’t give up on recycling, even if it’s a bit tricky. Because if we don’t recycle, more plastic will definitely end up in landfills, groundwater, rivers and oceans.

So recycle the plastic you can't avoid, but make sure you do it correctly.